The U.S. Constitution, EXPLAINED [AP Government Required Documents]

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In this video Heimler walks you through the United States Constitution, which is a required foundational document for the AP Government curriculum.

The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation as the governing document of the United States, and in doing so transferred more power into the hands of the federal government. However, in order to keep that power in its proper bounds, the Constitution provides for three branches of government which operate independently from one another but which can also check the power of the others through a system of checks and balances.

[danielmerriman]

Heimler I’d like to thank you on behalf of all of your students
You have saved my grade and ap score because of how much attention to detail you have towards these videos
We love them and want you to continue in the awesomeness that is our brain cows getting milked.
Thank you
-Class of 22 out

[jbpewfz]

constitution

article 1: congress

enumerated powers
- to tax
- borrow money
- coin money
- declare war
- raise and support army and navy

(necessary and proper clause: congress can make laws that are not stated if they help carry out enumerated powers)

article 2: executive branch

explicit power: ceo of army, execute laws, final step in law process

article 3: judicial
- one supreme court, congress establishes other courts
original jurisdiction (the supreme court listens to these cases first):
- court hears ambassador and international affairs
- court can only hear appeals cases for other cases

article 4: federalism/relationship between states and fed govt

article 5: amendment process
- 2/3 states propose (or 2/3 both house and congress)
-3/4 states agree

article 6: supremacy clause, fed law is supreme law of the land

[giannaperani]

Taking the constitution exam at UGA as a 22 year old! These videos aren’t just for high school students lol

[miaadler]

My exam is in 2 days and I just realized that you made a series on AP Gov... gonna be binging. Thank you!!!

[davidquaye]

Saw me through AP HUG, saw me through AP World, saw me through APUSH, and I'm a senior and you just took me through my Gov test this morning. my eternal gratitude heimler.

[ashark]

Thanks for breaking it down because it really helps me understand all of this easier!

[xEqualsRandom]

I think there is a mistake at 5:44, you said 2/3 of state legislatures can propose an amendment, but it's actually 2/3 of states can ask congress to organize a convention where the amendment is brought up.
Also, the amendment can be ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures or 3/4 of special ratifying conventions in the states.

[puppetmasters]

Exam is approximately 3 hours from now. Wish me luck

[lilpinky]

Thank you super helpful for my college history constitution test 🙏

[名誉ために日本人天の祖先]

There is a great treasure in this document and it's principle.. this takes time to unravel but is worthwhile
Grateful for america's integrity

[reasonablevegan]

Great stuff! Is there a longer version?

[markbirmingham]

0:45 by my understanding a republic is a form of government where people vote for representatives who then make the laws. Its often used as a contrast to pure or direct democracy. Therefore the AOC was still a republic. The move from the AOC to the US Constitution is a transition from a confederate to a federal system. A confederacy being a loose affiliation of sovereign member states with most political power held at the state level. While a federal system is the sharing of power between the state and federal governments but with more and now expanded power at the national now federal level.

So unless there’s a different understanding of the term republic, I think the AOC qualifies as a republic. Also that the transition from AOC to Constitution is best described as a move from a confederate to a federal system. I believe the US constitution is sometimes referred to as the us federal constitution.

Also I’m pretty sure at the time of the AOC both the national government and state governments were republican in form-in that the ppl voted for representatives.

[sophiabaig]

Hey Heimler!
you helped me get a 4 in APWH and I'm taking AP Psych and AP English Language and Composition this year and I was wondering if you could recommend any youtube channel that covers those courses(Or if you could start doing those to xD)
thank you!

[Mrdallasbrown]

This reminds me of the card game “SPADES”

[Alyssa-thuy]

Where is the visual depiction of this…. Anyone know? I need that version

[dwaynegalvin]

It should be a RED FLAG to all when a politician in the USA is talking about democracy in a Constitutional Republic!

[davidherrera]

Late af on this comment but it sounds like and correct me if I'm wrong but this video makes it sound like democracy never really existed in this country (America)

[adhyakasamsetty]

for the ap exam, do we need to know all the articles and what each one does, or generally what is covered?

[Spork]

Studying for the test that’s in less than an hour

[nfpnone]

I don’t even know where to begin. The Constitution of the United States did not change our system of government, it was legislative as established by the Articles of Confederation, and it’s still legislative after the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.

There is no such thing as 3 coequal branches of government, as in, legislative, executive and judicial, the legislative authority necessarily predominates.

Federalist #54, “The Structure of Government into Different departments”, Madison c.1788

[This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State.

But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self-defense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit.]

The first branch of the legislature is a Confederated (compound) Republic established by Article 1 and assembled in a bicameral legislature to manage how the States interact with each other to form and maintain the Union through laws. The second branch of the legislature is a Confederate assembly reestablished by Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the United States assembled in a unicameral legislature to manage how the States Act together as the Union when interacting with foreign nations and entities through treaties to make the decisions of a Free and Independent State with the Full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do All other Acts and Things which an Independent State may by Right do; and to establish the executive and judicial departments necessary to manage the general affairs of the government under the direction of the States as the Union as they are assembled in the Senate!

The Senate is a discrete democracy of the States as the Union, all the States are assembled as equals with equal suffrage to reach a majority consensus of All the States as the Union and the Established Government Authority. Only the States are members of the Union, only the States are members of Congress, only the States are apportioned representation and suffrage to participate in the legislative processes of Congress, and only the States have suffrage to vote to reach a majority consensus of All the States as a Union and the Established Government Authority!

Legislative power is decision making power. A quorum must identify and rank choices that must be considered to determine a choice by a majority consensus of all that are assembled as a legislative assembly. Our legislative assembly is the united States, in Congress Assembled, the Union and Established Government Authority.

That has never changed since the States were assembled as a democracy by the Articles of Confederation!